German Soldiers
Actions/SoldiersThe Soldiers were used in many of the Actions of the war. They fought in the war, provided protection for the camps and brought in people to put into the camps. Even though most of these soldiers followed the orders that were given there were some that did not. They helped the Jews and other people survive through the Holocaust. Some of these soldiers were caught going against the orders to take care of the targets of the Holocaust. These soldiers were killed for not following these orders. There were also soldiers who were under the age of 16. These boys were known as the Hitler Youth and didn't get much of the front-line action. The boys were mostly used to control the spotlights that were used to shine on planes coming at night. Even this job was not safe. There were many boys killed due to bombs hitting the spotlights.
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Lives of the SoldiersThese soldiers were just everyday people that were "brain-washed" into doing actions for Adolf Hitler. The daily life of a soldier depended on the location and what was happening at the location. Soldiers fighting against Russia had to face extreme coldness. The soldiers stayed in foxholes, that they had dug, for days and sometimes even weeks. On the other side of Europe the Germans were almost always doing something. Whether they were setting up machine-gun emplacements in abandoned houses, zeroing in on streets of towns with their mortars, or attacking with tanks, the Germans always seemed to be on the move. A final letter from a machine gunner showed how things were. Helmut, the writer of the letter goes into detail about one of his battles. He wrote "Every moment, I expected deadly shrapnel. At that moment I lost my nerves. The others acted just like me. When one hears for hours the whining, whistling and bursting of shells and the moaning and groaning of the wounded, one does not feel too well. Altogether it was Hell."
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The HolocaustThe Holocaust began in January 1933 when Hitler came to power and ended on May 8, 1945. During this period of time over 11 million people were killed. Hitler wanted all Jews, Gypsies, homosexuals, and disabled people dead because he thought they brought harm towards Germany. In the concentration camps German scientist performed experiences like testing immunization compounds and treatment methods for injuries that would be expected on a battlefield. The worst of all the Concentration Camps was Auschwitz. In this camp about 2 million people were killed.
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